


Rising Up

by Merfilly



Series: Slip In Time Pern AU [7]
Category: Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Paradox
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-03
Updated: 2013-08-03
Packaged: 2017-12-22 08:39:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/911173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The assaults on the holds happen, and Lessa's not to be left out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rising Up

**Author's Note:**

> As always, many thanks to the readers, and to my lady

With the number of fighters being taken into each of the Holds in question, Lessa's father had tried to overrule her as a member of the fighting party. Her stubborn will, and the fact two of her brothers were recovering from injuries, had won out, and she was among those chosen.

F'nor had already offered his services directly to Lord Kale and, upon hearing that Lessa was included among the fighters, made certain that he was the rider assigned to her detail. She and two others of their men rode behind F'nor on Canth, the brown placid and relaxed about the weight.

 _It is only three man-weights, because she is so small,_ Canth assured his rider.

 _With a personality as large as a gold!_ F'nor said in turn.

 _I am not that tiny,_ Lessa told Canth, an aside the brown kept for himself. Her mind was so strong, easy to hear without needing to try, and that was refreshing to Canth. While most dragons were content with only speaking to their riders, and to their rider's mates at times, Canth found people interesting enough to listen to the strong ones.

Lessa told the other two what to expect from _between_ , and then they were aloft, headed between for Ruatha.

`~`~`~`~`

The invasion of fighters and dragons into Ruatha Hold proper went swiftly, the dragons blinking in with the goal of landing on the heights. They aimed for the weapon emplacements, the riders quickly subduing the gunners that had scrambled to get to the sky-bolt defenses. Lord Kale's forces then readied lines to go down the wall and through the windows -- unshuttered on the upper heights, a poor decision during any Pass -- finding drudges and elderlies alike as the only inhabitants. 

Most of these sensibly stayed silent, but one drudge took off running, screaming at the top of his lungs that they were under attack. Not wanting to harm innocents, the fighters had no choice but to move quickly, ready for encountering guards on the lower levels.

Lessa led her two men and three others to one of the laundry chutes, using it to go down swiftly. A fierce look on her face indicated that she fully intended to get to Meron's level before his own guards could reach him. She counted the connecting chutes, keeping track of floors as they slid, checking their motion with their wherhide-soled shoes until she thought she was low enough. There, she stopped fully and cautiously looked into the room the connecting chute opened from.

It was the women's quarters, and she slipped out as silently as she could. Her detachment followed into the bathing chamber and fanned out. The women, not yet aroused by the alarm, came to as the six fighters moved to contain them. 

"What is this?!" one, a pretty woman with ash-brown hair demanded as all ten women were herded into one room.

"The reclamation of my father's Hold, and you'd all do well to stay put and quiet!" Lessa commanded, reaching out to taste their mental states. Fear and worry crowded in on her, but there didn't seem to be a willful one among the lot. Convinced they could move on, Lessa motioned for the door of that room to be blocked with a heavy dresser before they moved into the hall.

Here, Lessa's luck turned. A full twelve men had filled the hall, armed and armored by heavy wherhide. Eight rushed forward, while four remained close to one door... Meron's door, it had to be!

With her goal in sight, Lessa set to the fight with all her heart. She would see her father restored, the Bloodline back in its Hold. The long skinner she preferred was soon red with blood, her smaller size letting her dance in and out among her men and go for hamstrings and wrists of her opponents. She wasn't afraid to kill, but she knew her strength lay in disabling for the men with their longer reaches. 

"My lord!" one of the four at the door shouted, seeing that their eight comrades were faring worse in the battle. Meron hastily appeared, disheveled and still trying to shrug into a wherhide jacket.

"No you don't!" Lessa neglected her fight to dance back a step, skinner dropped for one of the slender blades at her waist. The man she'd been fighting lunged, and only the quick thinking of Lessa's nearest man kept her from being cleaved in half as Lessa pulled her hand back and threw.

The guards surrounding Meron had no chance to react as their Lord fell forward, a hilt showing just to the left of the spine, neatly above the line of the wherhide he'd been trying to put on.

"We're lost!" the one who had called for Meron shouted, panicking his cohort of fighters.

"Surrender, and you may have a chance of life," Lessa said coldly.

A few more blows were exchanged, but as they realized Meron was dead or dying, the guards decided they were wiser to do as she had said.

`~`~`~`~`

In Crom, the drudges proved to have the will to fight. Once they were certain their Lady's men were legitimately there to free the Hold, they joined in with whatever implements came to hand, making the Hold easier to take. The garrison left by Fax was overwhelmed quickly.

High Reaches was the hardest of the lot to take; Fax's men there proved to be loyal to him, likely out of the belief they would win, and with that victory be enriched. Though several of its liberators were killed in the fray, there were few prisoners left to be taken by the time the fighting ended.

Nabol being without its Lord meant that at the first sign of dragons, some sky-bolts had been fired, but the dragons evaded by blinking _between_ to near-ground level, close to the entrances, as soon as they had a solid visual. The liberation force pushed hard against the garrison soldiers and quickly captured the inner hall. 

The fights, all hitting near dawn on the four Holds, were over and cleaned up by the time mid-morning rolled across the planet, leaving Pern to recover from the spate of violence that had finally, they hoped, ended the Time of Troubles.

`~`~`~`~`


End file.
